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Garston Hops covers about 30 hectares, with plans to reach 40. Supplied. Deep in the heart of Southland, at latitude 45 degrees south, sits one of the world’s most unexpected horticultural ventures. Garston Hops, owned and operated by James and Lizette McNamee and their family, has become the southernmost commercial hop farm on the planet. What started as a small experiment has grown into a thriving business supplying breweries from Invercargill to Auckland and across the wor

While Duncan and Lorna Humm never intended on starting a pet cremation business, it’s been a natural fit for the Mid Canterbury couple. Photo: Isla Humm For Mid Canterbury deer farmer Duncan Humm, starting a pet cremation business was never part of the plan. “I definitely never woke up one day thinking I’d like to start a cremation business,” he says. “It just sort of evolved.” Humm, who is also co-founder of farming platform NZ Farming, runs Summerland Pet Cremation alongsid

Omihi School is inviting locals and visitors alike to come together for an evening of food, connection and community when Food Truck Friday returns to Omihi Community Hall on Friday, March 6. Now in its third year, the event runs from 5pm to 9pm and is designed as a relaxed community gathering rather than a fundraiser. Principal Maree Lucas says the idea grew from a desire to reconnect people after COVID and create something welcoming for the wider rural community. “It’s not

Lincoln University agriculture student James Clark says the Ravensdown scholarship will make a big difference as he heads into his second year. Eighteen-year-old James Clark was in the middle of farm work when he got the call telling him he’d won the 2026 Ravensdown Hugh Williams Memorial Scholarship. “I had to take a couple of minutes just to stop and get my head around it,” he said. “I was quite amazed, really.” Clark, a Lincoln University agriculture student from Valetta,

Dating has never been simple, but for rural New Zealanders it can feel especially stacked against you. Distance. Long hours. Small communities. Everyone knowing your business. Add dating apps into the mix and suddenly love feels less like a romance and more like a logistics exercise. Christchurch-based dating coach Jude Gane sees it every day. “Everyone’s single,” she says. “But no one’s making it work.” App fatigue is real Dating apps were meant to make things easier. In som

Festival director Kristy McGregor says the Shepherdess Muster is about “filling your own cup so you can give back to everyone else.” Supplied From 6–8 March 2026, the small Southland community of Tokanui will host the Shepherdess Muster – a three-day festival created to give women something many don’t allow themselves very often: time. Festival director and Shepherdess magazine publisher Kristy McGregor describes it as a deliberate pause from the constant demands many women c

AgProud chairperson Jon Pemberton (left) with National Lamb Day co-founder Pete Mcdonald. Supplied. National Lamb Day will be marked again on 15 February, with organisers encouraging New Zealanders to get behind a day that’s about more than just what’s on the plate. While lamb gives the day its name, chair of Ag Proud and the National Lamb Day committee Jon Pemberton says the focus is broader, celebrating New Zealand agriculture as a whole. “This is no one’s day. It’s not Ag

It feels like life is geared these days to be frictionless. Thanks to advances in technology and AI, almost everything we need is at our fingertips — from grocery shopping and workouts to TV shows and music. We can stream what we want, when we want. We rarely have to wait for anything. And AI is only speeding that up. While technology and AI are making their way into farming, the work itself is still hard yakka. But outside the farm gate, life is becoming increasingly automat

What started as a grassroots addition to the Methven A&P Show on March 21 has quickly become one of its biggest crowd-pullers — and this year, the Methven Ute Muster is aiming even higher. Running alongside the event, organisers are preparing for a Ford Ranger world record attempt, alongside a growing line-up of ute categories and a new women-led class designed to broaden who the event speaks to. Run as part of the annual Methven Show, the Ute Muster has been steadily buildi

Mark Ferguson, chief executive of neXtgen Agri, is taking on a 2,000km movement challenge across 2026 to raise funds and awareness for brain cancer research. Supplied. Christchurch-based neXtgen Agri chief executive Mark Ferguson has set himself a significant challenge for 2026 — walking, running or riding 2,000 kilometres over the year to raise funds and awareness for brain cancer research. The challenge, called TwentySix2000, was inspired by the diagnosis of one of his clos

Farmers could walk away from this year’s Southern Field Days with more than ideas and contacts - they could come away with a brand-new home, with every dollar raised supporting rural wellbeing. For Adam Newton from Adam Newton Homes, taking a home to the Southern Field Days isn’t new. But deciding to auction one - and donate the proceeds - was a step further. “This is the second year we’ve taken a house out there,” says Newton. “We tossed up whether we raffled a house or auct

Kim Schofield’s long-term plan is to transform the vineyard’s old winery shed into an art and tasting space. Supplied. When Kim Schofield bought an ageing Waipara vineyard in 2017, she freely admits the decision was not part of a grand winemaking strategy. “People secretly romanticise the idea of owning a vineyard,” she says. “The original idea was that it was an investment, but yes, there was a bit of romance in there too.” What Schofield did not know then was that the prope

Nicola Johns  and Fern at their first New Zealand win in 2021. Supplied. Gundog trialling isn’t a sport that draws crowds or headlines, but it demands the same precision, teamwork and grit as any top-tier competition. To Hurunui’s Nicola Johns, it’s an obsession spanning generations, a sport that has taken her from muddy fields to national titles. Johns, who works as Animal Health Sales Team Leader at North Canterbury Vets, is secretary of the Working Retriever Club and a com

Raised in the small settlement of Ohai, Cheyenne Wilson grew up alongside her father on sheep and beef farms, learning early how to read stock, ride motorbikes and tractors, and work hard for what she wanted. Supplied. Southland’s Cheyenne Wilson never planned on a career in dairying or agribusiness leadership.  Raised in the small settlement of Ohai, she grew up alongside her father on sheep and beef farms, learning early how to read stock, ride motorbikes and tractors, and

Grant Lightfoot first came up with the for Kiwi Econet idea years ago while working as a commercial diver on offshore oil rigs, spending weeks at a time in a decompression chamber. Supplied. A Southland deer farmer who once hand-knitted his first 50 metres of bale netting is now preparing to take his invention to agricultural events across Europe — and has caught the attention of Prince William along the way. Orepuki farmer Grant Lightfoot, inventor of the edible jute bale ne

Dylan Aymes (left) and Hannah Williamson have worked in hospitality together for years – and now they are not just good mates, but business partners. Claire Inkson When Hannah Williamson and Dylan Amyes unlocked the doors to D.O.T.I in June last year, they did it on a leap of faith.  Redundancy had pushed them out of their long-held roles at Waipara Hills, and although they both temporarily picked up jobs elsewhere, they were still searching for what came next. Then the old A

Sally Macdonald has run her clothing shop, Sally Macs,  in Amberley for 29 years. Amberley is a town with one foot firmly planted in its rural past and the other stepping confidently into a future of boutique shopping, modern cuisine and wine-region tourism.  It is both a service town and a destination, a place where you can pick up fencing gear or stock feed in the morning and enjoy a long lunch, winery tasting or artisan shopping in the afternoon.  Increasingly, it is a tow

Storytelling has been in my bones for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was seven, I’ve wanted to write. When I was 15, my father bought me my first proper camera - a second-hand Olympus 35mm that I treasured and still have today.  I’d wander around our farm taking photos, jotting down every camera setting in a notebook so I could figure out what worked and what didn’t. Agriculture has always been my anchor.  I have the deepest respect for the people who work the land a

Having come from a long line of Scottish dairy farmers, dairy farming is in Lynnes blood. Supplied. Ten years after stepping off a plane from Scotland, Lynne and Gregor Ramsay are about to pay the deposit on their first New Zealand dairy farm, a 200-cow, 105-hectare property near Gore. It marks the culmination of a decade of determination, long hours and careful planning for the Southland couple. Lynne grew up in a long line of Scottish dairy and sheep farmers, while Gregor i

Angel Nobel, with sons Charlie (left) age 18 months and Archie (four), launched Little Rides in May after attending a charity gala focused on encouraging young people into trades. Supplied. Children from Ashburton to Ashley can now enjoy a ride-on experience they will never forget, thanks to a new Canterbury business that uses digger hire to fund free rides for children who might otherwise miss out. Little Rides, launched in May by Christchurch mother and banking professional